Singapore's Health Care System
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9648_9789814696043_tp.indd 1 20/10/15 11:26 am World Scientific Series on Singapore’s 50 Years of Nation-Building Published 50 Years of Social Issues in Singapore edited by David Chan Our Lives to Live: Putting a Woman’s Face to Change in Singapore edited by Kanwaljit Soin and Margaret Thomas 50 Years of Singapore–Europe Relations: Celebrating Singapore’s Connections with Europe edited by Yeo Lay Hwee and Barnard Turner Perspectives on the Security of Singapore: The First 50 Years edited by Barry Desker and Cheng Guan Ang 50 Years of Singapore and the United Nations edited by Tommy Koh, Li Lin Chang and Joanna Koh 50 Years of Environment: Singapore’s Journey Towards Environmental Sustainability edited by Tan Yong Soon Food, Foodways and Foodscapes: Culture, Community and Consumption in Post-Colonial Singapore edited by Lily Kong and Vineeta Sinha Singapore’s Health Care System: What 50 Years Have Achieved edited by Chien Earn Lee and K. Satku Forthcoming 50 Years of the Chinese Community in Singapore edited by Pang Cheng Lian Singapore–China Relations: 50 Years edited by Zheng Yongnian and Lye Liang Fook Singapore’s Economic Development: Retrospection and Reflections edited by Linda Y. C. Lim 50 Years of Technical Education in Singapore: How to Build a World Class Education System from Scratch by N Varaprasad and Others* *The complete list of titles in the series can be found at http://www.worldscientific.com/series/wss50ynb 9648_9789814696043_tp.indd 2 20/10/15 11:26 am Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Singapore’s health care system : what 50 years have achieved / editors, Lee Chien Earn, K. Satku. p. ; cm. -- (World Scientific series on Singapore’s 50 years of nation-building) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-9814696043 (hardcover : alk. paper) -- ISBN 9814696048 (hardcover : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-9814696050 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 9814696056 (pbk. : alk. paper) I. Lee, Chien Earn, editor. II. Satku, K. (Kandiah), editor. III. Series: World Scientific series on Singapore’s 50 years of nation-building. [DNLM: 1. Delivery of Health Care--history--Singapore. 2. Health Resources--history--Singapore. 3. Health Services--history--Singapore. 4. History, 20th Century--Singapore. 5. History, 21st Century-- Singapore. W 84 JS6] RA395.S59 362.1095957--dc23 2015023642 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Copyright © 2016 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. Printed in Singapore Singapore’s Health Care System — What 50 Years Have Achieved Preface Singapore’s healthcare system has come a long way within a relatively short period of 50 years. For example, 50 years ago the infant mortality rate (IMR) was 26 per thousand live births. Today, the IMR is 2. Similarly, life expectancy then was 64 years; today, it is 83. How did Singapore’s healthcare system transform itself into one of the best in the world? This book provides insights into the development of Singapore’s healthcare system from the early days of fi ghting infections and providing supplemental nutrition for schoolchildren to today’s management of lifestyle diseases and high-end tertiary care. A hallmark of the system is strong leadership and dedicated people that are prepared to learn from our own experiences while adapting best practices from around the world. Our aim is not to be comprehensive, but to present key facets of our healthcare system with our various contributors sharing their perspectives in their own voice and style. We have thus taken the approach akin to that of a Festschrift, a term borrowed from German, which can be translated as celebratory publication or celebratory piece of writing. However, instead of honouring a person, this book is presented in honour of Singapore. In this regard, we would like to express our deepest appreciation to all who have willingly and expertly contributed to this book despite their busy schedules. Even as we celebrate the achievements of the past 50 years, we recognise that our healthcare system is not without its challenges — not least those of an ageing population and an increasing market orientation. New challenges will also arise from time to time which require dynamic solutions. Our predecessors have laid a solid foundation that enables us to address these challenges from a stronger position compared with many other countries. Lastly, while the means may change, our goal remains the same — to help Singaporeans continue to “live well, live long, and with peace of mind.” b2127_FM.indd v 20-Oct-15 9:18:13 AM This page intentionally left blank EtU_final_v6.indd 358 Singapore’s Health Care System — What 50 Years Have Achieved Contents Preface v 1. The Transformation of the Health of Our People: An Overview 1 Lee Chien Earn and K. Satku 2. A Brief History of Public Health in Singapore 33 Joan Sara Thomas, Ong Suan Ee, Chia Kee Seng and Lee Hin Peng 3. Evolving the Governance of Public Healthcare Institutions — A Continuous Improvement Journey 57 Elizabeth Quah and Neo Boon Siong 4. Paying for Healthcare 75 Lai Wei Lin 5. Healthcare Regulation 95 Harold Tan, John C.W. Lim, Se Thoe Su Yun, Suwarin Chaturapit, Melissa Tan, Eric Chan, Ng Mui Kim, Cynthia Kwok, Sia Chong Hock, Foo Yang Tong, Wang Woei Jiuang and Dorothy Toh 6. Fifty Years of Clinical Quality 117 Voo Yau Onn 7. The Growth and Development of Healthcare Professionals 129 K. Satku and Lee Chien Earn 7.1. Dental Manpower Development 137 Patrick Tseng, Grace Ong and Chew Chong Lin 7.2. Medical Manpower Development 143 K. Satku b2127_FM.indd vii 20-Oct-15 9:18:13 AM Singapore’s Health Care System — What 50 Years Have Achieved viii Singapore’s Health Care System — What 50 Years Have Achieved 7.3. Pharmacy Manpower Development 151 Lita Chew and Azah Subari 7.4. Allied Health Professionals 155 Lau Hong Choon, Elaine Teo, Celia Tan Ia Choo, Lau Cheng Mun, Lim Hua Beng, Melissa Chua, Gary Tan, Jasper Tong and Gladys Wong 8. Nursing Manpower Development 161 Ang Wei Kiat and Pauline C.J. Tan 9. Health Promotion — Our Journey 183 Chew Ling, Jeanne Tan, Jael Lim, Lyn James, Derrick Heng and Chew Suok Kai 10. Primary Care 203 Lim Wei and Adrian Ee 11. Singapore’s Hospitals — Introduction 219 Lee Chien Earn 11.1. Singapore General Hospital 221 Ang Chong Lye 11.2. Changi General Hospital 229 Lee Chien Earn 11.3. Tan Tock Seng Hospital 235 Philip Choo 11.4. Alexandra Health System 241 Caroline Lim 11.5. National University Hospital 247 Joe Sim 11.6. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital 257 Kenneth Kwek 11.7. Institute of Mental Health 269 Chua Hong Choon and Daniel Fung 11.8. Parkway Pantai — An Integrated Healthcare Group 283 Tan See Leng 11.9. Mount Alvernia Hospital 291 Joyce See b2127_FM.indd viii 20-Oct-15 9:18:13 AM Singapore’s Health Care System — What 50 Years Have Achieved Contents ix 11.10. Raffl es Medical Group 299 Lawrence Lim 12. Ages and Stages: Five Decades of Community and Residential Services in Singapore 305 Wong Loong Mun, Nixon Tan, Toh Kong Chian and Jason Cheah 13. Our IT Journey: One Patient-One Record 337 Low Cheng Ooi and Peter Tan 14. Traditional Chinese Medicine 351 Ng Han Seong 15. Global Health — Singapore’s Contributions 363 Yeo Wen Qing, Lyn James, Derrick Heng and Chew Suok Kai 16. Challenges in Healthcare 375 Lee Chien Earn and K. Satku Index 387 b2127_FM.indd ix 20-Oct-15 9:18:13 AM This page intentionally left blank EtU_final_v6.indd 358 Singapore’s Health Care System — What 50 Years Have Achieved The Transformation of the Health 1 of Our People: An Overview Lee Chien Earn* and K. Satku† Singapore’s healthcare system is recognised today as being one of the best in the world. The World Health Organisation ranked it 6th best among 191 countries in 2000, based on eight criteria;1 Bloomberg declared Singapore as the healthiest country in the world in 2012, second among 51 countries in health effi ciency in 2013 and fi rst in 2014.2 Indeed the statistics tell the story: the infant mortality rate in 2013 was 2 per thousand live births, maternal mortality was 0.025 per 1000 births and life expectancy was 82 years.3 Per capita expenditure on healthcare in 2013 was US$2426.4 In all these measures Singapore has, over many years, consistently ranked among the best in the world in terms of health outcomes and health effi ciency. Access to healthcare is assured, affordable, of good quality, and appropriate to need. The system remains viable because of a fi scal policy developed and refi ned over the last fi fty years. The system can be improved, but in contrast to many developed countries, there is no looming crisis regarding sustainability. 12 The state of our health services today is contributed to by many factors.